Commentary; Posted: 5/4/05
A cup of cold water
Rev. John C. Blackford
Religion Columnist
ìA cup of cold waterî is a familiar phrase. What may not be known is that it is found in the Bible in the Gospel of St. Matthew, chapter ten, verse 42, and that it speaks of an act of kindness done to another human being, and by implication, to any creature.
St. Matthew ten begins with the commissioning of the twelve disciples by Jesus, and ends with a call for compassion, which becomes the demonstration of discipleship: ìIf anyone gives to drink a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, only in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you that one will not go unrewarded.î
Chapter ten outlines the Lordís instructions for his followers. In verse seven he announces the kingdom of heaven is at hand, which means the cup of cold water is kindom-work. In verse eight his first instruction to the disciples is to ìheal the sick.î
Over the centuries the church has been the leader in the ministry of healing, especially in the western world. This effort has been to the total person ó body, mind and spirit ó and has led to the establishing of hospitals, orphanages, and institutions for the blind, deaf, mentally ill and other handicapping conditions.
Churches and people of faith have begun these institutions and continue to operate them, although in many instances private or governmental agencies have taken them over or established new ones to meet the needs of people.
Our nation has many service clubs whose mission is to carry on medical or health projects in the spirit of ìa cup of cold water.î In The Wall Street Journal (April 12, 2005) there is an article entitled ìPolio and Rotaryî marking the 50th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine. Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, used to be one of childhoodís most feared diseases. A few years after Dr. Salk announced his vaccine, nearly every child in the U.S. was protected.
Today polio has disappeared from the Americas, Europe and the Western Pacific, and is nearly gone from the rest of the world. A too-little known part of this feat is the role played by Rotary, the international businessmanís club which 20 years ago adopted the goal of wiping out the disease.
Rotary realized that medical breakthroughs are worthless unless people arenít afraid to immunize their children, and efficient delivery systems exist to get the vaccine to them. And so it mobilized its members in 30,100 clubs in 166 countries to make it happen.
In 1985, when Rotary launched its eradication program, there were an estimated 350,000 new cases in 125 countries. Last year 1263 cases were reported. More than one million Rotarians have volunteered their time or donated money or both to immunize two billion children in 122 countries.
In 1988, Rotary money and its example were the catalyst for a global eradication drive which was joined by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In 2000 Rotary teamed up with the United Nations Foundation to raise $100 million in private money for the program. By the time the world is certified polio free ó probably in 2008 ó Rotary will have contributed $600 million to this eradication effort.
Locally, Paul Novak of Novak GMC, the president-elect of the Forest Lake club, said recently their present project is to put a fishing dock on Shields Lake for the use of the public, youth and the handicapped. Other community projects are being planned. This is the 100th year of Rotary International and the local group is about 15 years old. Paulís father, the late William ìBillî Novak, was one of the founders in Forest Lake. The Forest Lake Rotary Club meets on Wednesday at noon at the Jelly Jar.
Most of the service groups and other non-profits began under the auspices of the churches and/or individuals in the churches. Some of the better known are Goodwill Industries, Red Cross, World Vision, CARE, YMCA, YWCA, Prison Fellowship and Campus Crusade for Christ, but there are hundreds of others bringing, in their own ways, a cup of cold water to a thirsty world. They all depend on the support of people and charitable agencies for their ongoing ministries.
Our nation is the worldís leader in dispensing ìa cup of cold water.î Our spiritual foundations have made this possible. If we ever lose our faith moorings, the well-springs of compassion will dry up and millions will no longer find the help they sorely need. 21st century disciples, in the spirit of the 12 in Jesusí day, are needed in greater numbers than ever to reach out in compassion and do kingdom-work. Thereís a place for you, dear reader!
Forest Lake Times
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